Most people who rent have either never played a particular musical instrument or haven't played a musical instrument at all. By renting, you have the freedom to try an instrument out and see if you like playing that instrument or if you like instrumental music in general without the financial pressure of purchasing the instrument outright.

One great feature of the WT Music & Son Rent to Purchase plan is that you can switch instruments during the rental period. So, if you do not like one instrument, you can switch instruments during the rental period with little to no extra charge. If you were to buy two instruments, you would waste a lot of money and you might end up with two instruments never being played at all.

For parents who rent instruments for children, they should use the rental period to monitor the progress of their child and see if their casual interest in the instrument develops into a passion for the instrument and for music in general. Getting private instruction is a good way to cultivate interest in music and delve deeper into learning how to play the instrument. WT Music & Son highly recommends private instruction. Call us today for private instruction references.

How is WT Music & Son's Rental Different from the others

WT Music uses brand name instruments that are expertly set up by highly qualified technicians.

Brand names include:

Selmer

Yamaha

Buffet

Gemeinhardt

Pearl

Vincent Bach

Blessing

Klaus Mueller

Juzek

Amati

Strunal

JP Musical Instruments

We take the guess work out of getting all the things needed for music instruction by adding extra items to the rental package. For woodwind(reed) instruments like clarinet, sax and oboe we add additional reeds in a reed guard. This way, you have enough reeds for 6-12 weeks of instruction rather than having to go right back out and get more reeds. For violins and violas, we offer shoulder rests so students have proper shoulder support. We also offer durable, lightweight Protec cases for our brass and woodwind instruments. We are also one of the only rental vendors that offers a hard case with our cello rental for additional protection. We offer a free music book and stand with each rental. We have a free maintenance and service program on repairs due to normal use, not abuse, improper use, misuse or negligence. Many rental vendors make you pay for a maintenance plan. We have relationships with schools where we deliver instruments or repairs directly to the schools. For instance, we are in the Westfield public school system every day of the week when school is in session. Sometimes, if the schedule permits, we offer home delivery of instruments and accessories. We offer the same service to some private instruction groups in your area as well. As you can see, there's more to our rental package than just an instrument.

What happens at the end of the rental

Near the expiration of the rental, you will be given what's called an “option letter”. Inside this option letter is plenty of information on what to do at the end of the rental and how to discontinue the rental should you wish to do so. There is a lot of information and you are not expected to understand it all. If anything, we encourage you to call us or email us to learn more about each of these options. We prefer you be informed before you make an important decision.

We offer a purchase option, a Rent2Own option(with three different billing methods), a Rent Again(10 month rental) option and a Rent Again Keep(over the summer/12 month rental) option. Each option is available to match a customer to a plan that aligns with their interest level and financial budget. When you call WT Music & Son, you'll get the President and Senior Technician, Chris Tarnowski. In other words, you're talking with the owner of the business directly. Chris has been helping customers find the plan that is right for them for 10 years now. Since Chris has intimate knowledge with all of his stock instruments and is constantly testing new instruments on the market, you can get a wealth of information about musical instruments and the market for each particular musical instrument. At WT Music & Son, we do not want you to be in a plan that you cannot afford or feel “pushed” into a plan. We learn about the interest level of the customer and their financial considerations and try to tailor a solution that fits the customer well. It really pays to call us or email us.

What Are The Benefits of Purchasing at WT Music & Son

WT Music & Son takes great pride in the instruments it puts out for its customers. That is why we offer a one year of free maintenance and service plan on each sale. Nobody else offers one year of free maintenance and service. Why do we do that? First, we stand behind the instrument we sell and believe in it's quality. Second, we also believe strongly in developing a relationship with the customer and a cycle of maintenance and care on the instrument. Years of experience has taught us that different players will require different service methods based on their play usage and music commitment schedules. So, we become the doctor/trainer and make sure you and your instrument are playing at peak performance come the day of the concert, professional gig or audition. Help us help you be the best you can be.

IThink I should Purchase a New Instrument to Avoid Repairs

Many customers think they will get a better instrument that doesn't need repairs by getting a new instrument versus a used instrument. All instruments will have to be serviced on an annual basis regardless of whether they are new or not. Plus, if somebody drops an instrument, a new instrument will incur the same damage than the used instrument. In essence, what you end up paying for is aesthetics(which is temporary in the hands of children) of an instrument. WT Music & Son prides itself on selling quality new and used instruments. However, the real value is buying a used instrument at an affordable price from WT Music & Son because you know it's certified and set up by an expert technician. Lately, Chris Tarnowski has rigorously product tested many new instruments coming out and more than ever he is leaning on used instruments because he feels they will perform better in the field than anything being produced new today. At WT Music & Son, we understand that not everybody is an expert on music. We want to help you make the right decision. So, please feel free to call us and ask questions.

I See CheaperInstrumentsAdvertisedonthe Internet. What About Them?

Beware of instruments that are NOT amongst the list of WT Music & Son's brand name instruments. The issue is getting parts for these items may be impossible. Reason being, some of these companies change their design or manufacturing facilities and will most likely not keep extra parts around or sell extra parts to parts distributors. Also, the cheaper discount instruments may have been mass produced and not have been supervised by experienced manufacturer technicians. If you want to learn more about an instrument, call or email Chris and he will look at an advertisement or website with you to learn more about the instrument.

What Are the Benefits of Renting Again

By renting again, you get to have the same high quality instrument at an affordable price. Sometimes renting again is the best option. For instance, some instruments like bass clarinet, oboe, tenor sax and cello are very expensive. Thus, for you to purchase, the student/customer's interest level needs to be very high. If it's more of a casual interest, but you do need the instrument for an extended period of time, renting might be a better option. You also stay under the umbrella of the free maintenance and service plan on the instrument during each rental period. Many customers have enjoyed just renting because if they ever have a repair that's needed, “WT Music & Son takes care of it at no charge”. Therefore, you have more cost certainty on a year to year basis. The only issue with renting again is that you do not retain your rental credit from the previous year(See What Are the Benefits of the Rent2Own Plan). In essence, it's like starting all over again. A good example of this might be like renting an apartment. You do not have any equity in the apartment when you rent year to year on leases.

**School students: Band directors and WT Music & Son highly encourage a 12 month rental plan as band directors encourage students to play year round even when class is not in session.

What Are the Benefits of the Rent2Own Plan

When you initially you rent in the first 10 or 12 month rental plan, you accumulate what's called rental credit. So, for instance, if you rent an alto sax for 10 months for $256.80(NJ Sales Tax Included), you accumulate $240.00(rental fee) worth of rental credit which can be used towards the purchase of the instrument. This is described in greater detail in your “option letter”. Many people may have great interest in owning an instrument, but not have the financial means to pay the lump sum purchase amount. The Rent2Own Plan allows the customer to keep the rental credit(in our example of the alto sax rental, $240 credit) and progressively build credit every time they pay a monthly or quarterly bill. Monthly rates range between $33.00 - $50 per month depending on the instrument you are renting. At WT Music, you can select a monthly, quarterly or one time(11 month) billing method. Using our alto sax example, if you pay a monthly bill of $47.08($44 rental fee plus NJ sales tax), you will accumulate $484 in rental credit over the next 11 months PLUS retain your $240 rental credit for a grand total of $724 total rental credit which can be used(only) towards the purchase of the instrument or some other instrument in our shop. As you can see, this is a gradual approach towards owning the instrument. You may pay more money over time than purchasing the instrument at a lump sum. However, the gradual approach may be something your monthly financial budget can handle.

One way our customers have used the Rent2Own plan has been to build credit towards a future purchase of a professional or intermediate horn. They play on the student model horn for the duration. However, when they are personally and financially ready to commit to the intermediate or professional instrument, they have accumulated a lot of rental credit which defrays the overall cost of the instrument. Intermediate and professional instruments can be very expensive. So, defraying the cost can become a huge benefit to the customer.